Typical modulation circuitry for radio transmitters uses substantial power to accurately modulate a radio frequency (RF) output signal due to architectural techniques used. One type of radio modulator uses in-phase-(I) and quadrature-(Q) digital-to-analog converters (DACs) with dual mixers to modulate the desired signal. In this type of modulator the mixers directly mix the input signal to the RF output frequency, or an intermediate frequency (IF) which is later mixed to the final RF value. In addition to being high power, this type of architecture is susceptible to voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) pulling which causes undesirable signal distortion. Another type of modulator uses a fractional-N phase lock loop (PLL) to directly modulate the VCO. However, the signal processing circuitry for the fractional-N based modulation is substantial due to the high-speeds at which the modulator must operate.